UConn places five players among 30 preseason Wooden Award candidates

Five players on the UConn women's basketball team are among the 30 preseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award.

The list revealed Tuesday includes Huskies seniors Kia Nurse, Gabby Williams and Azura Stevens, and juniors Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson. Stevens, the only non-starter in the group, is a Duke transfer who is eligible this season after sitting out 2016-17.

Ohio State senior Kelsey Mitchell, who has a shot at breaking the NCAA's career scoring record this season, also was named a preseason candidate.

Preseason Wooden Award Candidates

The women's players listed as the preseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award:

Player

School

Year

Pos

Kristine Anigwe

Cal

Jr.

C/F

Ariel Atkins

Texas

Sr.

G

Monique Billings

UCLA

Sr.

F

Allazia Blockton

Marquette

Jr.

G

Kalani Brown

Baylor

Jr.

C

Lexie Brown

Duke

Sr.

G

Jordin Canada

UCLA

Sr.

G

Napheesa Collier

UConn

Jr.

F

Sophie Cunningham

Missouri

Jr.

G

Asia Durr, Louisville

Louisville

Jr.

G

Katelynn Flaherty

Michigan

Sr.

G

Rebecca Greenwell

Duke

Sr.

G

Ruthy Hebard

Oregon

So.

F

Myisha Hines-Allen

Louisville

Sr.

F

Sabrina Ionescu

Oregon

So.

G

Tynice Martin

West Virginia

Jr.

G

Brooke McCarty

Texas

Sr.

G

Brittany McPhee

Stanford

Sr.

G

Kelsey Mitchell

Ohio State

Sr.

G

Jaime Nared

Tennessee

Sr.

G/F

Kia Nurse

UConn

Sr.

G

Arike Ogunbowale

Notre Dame

Jr.

G

Mercedes Russell

Tennessee

Sr.

C

Katie Lou Samuelson

UConn

Jr.

G/F

Azura Stevens

UConn

Sr.

G/F

Shakayla Thomas

Florida State

Sr.

F

Victoria Vivians

Mississippi State

Sr.

G

Morgan William

Mississippi State

Sr.

G

Gabby Williams

UConn

Sr.

F

A'ja Wilson

South Carolina

Sr.

F

Nineteen players on the list are seniors, headlined by A'ja Wilson, last season's most outstanding player at the Final Four who led South Carolina to the 2017 NCAA title.

Louisville's Asia Durr, who set a single-game school record with 47 points Sunday, is among the nine juniors on the list. Oregon's Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu, who posted her fifth career triple-double on Sunday, are the only sophomores.

The John R. Wooden Award is given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. Washington's Kelsey Plum was last season's recipient, and was joined on the 2016 Women's Wooden Award All-American team by Collier, Samuelson, Mitchell and Wilson.